from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

Etymologies

Middle English carike, from Medieval Latin carrica and from Old French caraque (from Old Spanish carraca), both from Arabic qarāqīr, pl. of qurqūr, from Greek kerkouros, fast light vessel.

(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

From French caraque (compare Spanish and Portuguese carraca, Italian caracca), from Latin carraca, from Latin carrus ("wagon"); or perhaps from Arabic. (Wiktionary)

Examples

I suspect, however, that they must have been nearly, if not entirely, decked over -- in fact, that they were what are now called flush-decked vessels, while probably the carrack was a frigate-built ship, or, at all events, a ship with a high poop and forecastle.

In the Lansd. MS., British Museum, No. 70., there is a letter from Mr. Richard Champernowne to Sir Robert Cecil, dated in 1592, referring to the discovery of some articles pillaged from the Spanish carrack, which had then recently been captured and taken into Dartmouth harbour.

I told them about those three ships -- we imagine huge floating fortresses, but Columbus 'ships were shockingly tiny for an open ocean crossing, two small caravels and the flagship Santa María, a carrack -- making their way out of Palos that morning, on a voyage longer and more dangerous than a modern trip to the moon.

O that he had but the wealth and treasure of both the Indies to endow her with, a carrack of diamonds, a chain of pearl, a cascanet of jewels, (a pair of calfskin gloves of four-pence a pair were fitter), or some such toy, to send her for a token, she should have it with all his heart; he would spend myriads of crowns for her sake.